At a subsequent court appearance in December, she was handcuffed and threatened with jail after she stuck her tongue out at Judge Jackson.

Brown had been due to appear in court on Monday morning to plead guilty to the misdemeanour assault charges, according to the Reuters news agency.

But did not appear until later the afternoon, blaming her delayed arrival on a hurricane in Jamaica where she had been performing a concert.

The judge noted the case was 18 months old and said the singer did not come to the court "completely pristine".

Earlier this month the rapper - best known for her 1999 album Chyna Doll - missed a court hearing in New Jersey over separate charges filed by a former colleague relating to alleged "terroristic threats".